Best Open Mics of 2018
It’s that time again. To champion the open mics that were leaps and bounds over the usual “meh” and bottom of the barrel dogshit mics. Mics that leave you with that rare feeling of Wow, I think I actually did something productive there. An open mic that leaves you with a sense of well being…imagine that.
I reviewed 75 open mics this year. Isn’t that crazy? 7 of those were in Colorado, but come on!
I took a year off from doing the awards because the first one made me wonder if it was worth it. If you’re curious you can click here for the Best Open Mics of 2016.
There are no physical rewards by the way, just positive word of mouth about your open mic. Wait, where you going? DON’T GO!!!!! I’LL MAKE BUTTONS (echo) buttons…
I entertained the idea, but I think I came up with a good compromise…I’ll have my shit together next year. We can shoot ideas about prizes, we’ll talk.
NOW BACK TO THE SCHEDULED PROGRAM.
So many mics popped up this year and almost just as quick, they disappeared without a trace or explanation. The owner may have cancelled it due to their business not turning an instant profit. Or a host realized that doing a weekly mic might take actual skill or commitment. Maybe a horrified customer wrote a bad Yelp review like this one.
They still managed to squeeze in a review of the pizza!
Most likely there were just not enough comics that cared enough to buy anything, so the owner pulled the plug. 3 to 4 weeks and then gone! Maybe it’s for the best. Some of the worst open mics have an incredible lifespan. We need those mics too. When I’m desperate enough I’ll hit just about any mic, except the Arsenal. A different host can turn a room around, though. Hell, even a nice bartender can make it worthwhile.
I want to thank all the comedians and non-comics that have taken on the task of hosting an open mic. Big applause to all the substitute hosts that keep a mic from cancelling. The majority of my reviews catch the guest host, because yeah, we all need fucking breaks, I get it! Running a mic is a bitch, so THANK YOU! We’re pretty spoiled out here with 20+ mics on any given night, and it’s cool that I can waste time writing a blog about it!
So just to clarify, there are the “Comedian’s Choice” winners- the direct results of your votes. There were bout 200 votes this year, not bad, not great- hopefully reach more people next year, I tried!
Then there’s the “Open Mic Reviews,” which are my personal picks.
There are a lot of good mics, but very few stick out from the pack.
I’m sorry if I didn’t recognize your mic this year, I didn’t hit all of them. Remember, this is all in good fun (I’m just winging this) and I just want other comedians to know that there are great mics out there that are worth checking out. I received a lot of invites… some dickneck tagged me weekly for an entire year, for his New Jersey mic, Scotty’s Pub and Comedy Cove. I don’t live in Jersey, bro!
There were a lot of donations last year for my past Patreon whirl, and I can’t thank those people enough. It gave me the extra nudge to get back out there and drive another couple hundred miles. It also made it possible for me to put some money into this project, so thank you. I’m glad somebody’s enjoying this! I also get emails about incorrect listings on the site. I’m so glad people are paying attention and helping me keep things up to date. It’s really hard to keep track of which mics fold or change days. Anyway, you can always message me with suggestions, corrections, or recommendations on Instagram, always cool to hear from you.
QUICK NOTE- Please don’t spoil the winners online. I’d love for the participants to discover it themselves, it’s part of the fun. Feel free to share away or tag the hosts of your favorite mics. If you guys enjoy this, I’ll do it again next year. Thanks for all your help!
NOW ON TO THE WINNERS!
BEST MIC THAT FOLDED THIS YEAR (R.I.P.)
Comedian’s Choice Marty’s
Open Mic Reviews Shanghai’d
Honorable Mentions MOD Pizza Open Mic, Max Bloom’s and Meltdown Comics.
Martys mic won the honors over MOD’s free pizza? I think I have a pretty good idea why.
Someone brought up a good point about Marty’s. A lot of the comics would hang out and talk about your sets. Punch up your jokes while you were on stage. It really was one of the best feedback mics, even though it wasn’t listed as one. Many comics taped their sets here. Serious comics were treating it like a gym, improvising through potential bits. There was the hang too of course, parties, and Marty’s was a great pop-in place if you desperately needed to charge your phone for a couple hours. Its left a mark on many comics and they are bonded forever. Plus you got a shitty photo on the wall! I wasn’t a part of all this. I went less than a dozen times in 5 years, but I understand the love and I can’t shit on it anymore. Sure there were depressing nights, but it was never pretentious in there. Everyone was struggling to find the funny. For $5 you got some shitty coffee and a heck of a lot of stage time, sometimes up to an hour! Plus the best pizza was just ten paces away. You were my first open mic, thanks for listening, Marty!
Since we’re on the topic of dead mics, I made a video montage of some of the mics that passed away much too soon. Enjoy!
R.I.P. MICS! I forgot Hooters, that was a fun one too. Some mics died out and then came back from the dead recently, like the great LA School of Comedy.
The next category is Best FEEDBACK mic. I’m not surprised that many comics haven’t done one of these. They’re not very common and sometimes it’s just thrown out casually by the host, “If you want feedback about your set, we can talk about it for a couple minutes, it’s optional.”
I always have a resistance to these because I usually don’t trust anyone else with joke-writing. I get extremely defensive about my jokes (not healthy) and opinionated, but believe it or not, it helps to hear outside ideas. Even if you reject everything, your brain is working and its forcing you to be analytical about your bit, so I recommend it…if you dare. Some comics will just run their mouth, vomiting their own version of your bit, so there’s that too. But you can just smile and nod as if to say, “Oh that’s cute, you think that’s comedy!” Or if you’re like me you’ll argue with the host until he backs off.
BEST FEEDBACK MIC
Comedian's Choice “Challenge Mic” at The Copper Still Bar
Open Mic Reviews Melody Bar and Grill
Honorable Mentions Fanatic Salon
Maggie Mayfield at “The Challenge Mic” This mic will really stretch your abilities and force you to explore what’s interesting in your daily life. Just grab a topic from the bucket and let ‘er rip! You might walk away with some great premises. The more open you are, the better it’ll go. Maggie is there to guide you if you get stuck. I also like how she posts pictures of comics and include a choice quote from their set.
The next category is Lottery mic. Have you mastered the art of paper folding yet? Did you drop your name in the bucket way too early? (a hearty chuckle) Oh you. You’ll learn. Those hosts never mix up the names enough. They still grab from the top, you silly person!
I think we all secretly have our own method, it’s ridiculous.
BEST LOTTERY MIC
Comedian's Choice The Other Door
Open Mic Reviews Genghis Cohen
Honorable Mentions Cabo Wabo Comedy Show, Lyric Hyperion Theater
Vanessa Gritton at The Other Door.
The Other Door is a big favorite. Kevin Anderson and Vanessa Gritton are class acts. There’s a pre-signup and plenty of bucket spots throughout the night. The bar is always lively and the hosts make you feel like you’re part of a family. 4 mics up.
The next category is the Best $5 Mic, and that sparked a comment on the survey:
No pay to play.
I have a response to this. And this goes to all of you No-Pay-To-Play fucking morons. I’m willing to spend $5 and just work on my comedy in spaces where there are no distractions. Where other like-minded serious comics are there to work. Where hosts are paying attention and give a shit, unlike you, who will spend 20 to 50 dollars in one night getting shit-faced and preaching your sanctimonious bullshit without ever improving or becoming even vaguely interesting to listen to. Have another beer, asshole. Oh, ten years went by and nobody’s joining in on your grumbling anymore? Have another drink, get high with your friends, but don’t pay to fucking play with people that only want to spend their money on COMEDY. We know what your passion is so GET FUCKED.
I won’t go to a 1-drink minimum open mic either. I only support the venues that can afford to have a bunch of free-loading comics, THEN I’LL SPEND! (Pee-Wee-Herman fart noises, dances around the room)
Go to whatever mics you want. If you get anything out of it, it’s a win. You’ll know when you’re getting ripped off. You can mute the douchebags online, and they don’t have to know.
BEST $5 MIC (or best Pay-To-Play)
Comedian's Choice The Fourth Wall
Open Mic Reviews Bert’s Backroom
Honorable Mentions Marty’s, Tao Comedy Studio
Rishi is probably talking about A Serbian Film at The Fourth Wall.
I am always hearing a lot of positive feedback about The Fourth Wall. I’ve been there a couple times and I dug it. I really enjoyed the Fourth Wall’s Hollywood Mobile Mic as well. Joe Manente is a great guy, and he’s got a good thing going here. Joey Diaz dropped in and he sung his praises of The Fourth Wall on Joe Rogan. You can watch the clip here.
Alright, this is a stupid category. It’s the only negative one, but you deserve to know what open mic has toppled Big Wangs from the coveted LOUDEST MIC position.
LOUDEST MIC
Comedian's Choice Flappers Bar
Open Mic Reviews The Surly Goat
Honorable Mentions VFW
Lot of comics pile in and crane their necks to watch the Flappers Bar open mic.
The people have spoken! There is a lot of activity going on with the showroom next door, a busy bartender, and a ton of disrespectful open mic’ers. I actually dig this mic. The large amount of people makes it exciting and it’s not impossible to win over the crowd.
NEXT UP, DIY MIC!
What a DIY mic means to me is someone who put in a tremendous effort to make their own open mic space. Or maybe it was someone else’s space, but they dragged in their shoddy gear and made it into something special. Some lights, an amp, throw pillows, a beanbag chair and a poster of Gallagher.
BEST DIY MIC
Comedian's Choice Garage Behind Food 4 Less
Open Mic Reviews Bert’s Backroom
Honorable Mentions VFW in Burbank, Hollywood Mobile Mic
Kyle giving it his all for 7 minutes. Victor will play you up to music, people bring snacks, there’s even a little wood platform of a stage! Located in an alley that is Howie Mandel’s worst nightmare.
Victor’s Garage Behind Food 4 Less beat out Bert’s Backroom by one vote. That’s pretty fucking cool. It truly is the punk rock space of the open mic scene, and it’s great to know it’s still going. It’s gritty and grimy and comics will piss in the alley. DIY, bitches! If this mic ever closes permanently, maybe we can get the city to declare it a comedy landmark- leave all the decorations up, garage is always open for tours!
Outdoor mics can be weird, especially in the middle of the day. Comedy was meant for a dark room, and it never feels appropriate to tell dick jokes when you can hear birds outside chirping.
BEST OUTDOOR MIC
Comedian's Choice Simply Coffee
Open Mic Reviews Holy Grounds Coffee and Tea
Honorable Mentions Meea’s Hot Dogs
Adam White gives out prizes at the Simply Coffee mic in Burbank. He’s extremely laid back and the mic is almost too casual, but it’s a super friendly option and not a bad way to start the day!
The next category “Best Safe Space Mic” sparked more outrage.
“Comedy dies in a safe space. Fuck this category.”
Pretty dramatic. I’m not gonna rant this time. Yeah, a safe space sounds precious and ridiculous, but after listening to dozens of comics scream the word “Faggot” on stage, I’m glad these safe spaces exist, knowing it’ll discourage the angriest/laziest comics from showing up. Yay, more fun for us!
Even the hamster is protected!
BEST SAFE SPACE MIC
Comedian's Choice Tao Comedy Studio
Open Mic Reviews Tao Comedy Studio
Honorable Mentions “Challenge Mic” at The Cooper Still Bar, Canters “Kibitz” Room
Bobbie Oliver (not pictured above) doesn’t tolerate any hate speech at the Tao Comedy Studio. She’s really funny and I love the space. Some of the best comedians on the scene will work out stuff here.
Most open mics in Los Angeles are well attended and pretty cheap with stage time. So we get 3 minutes to shine and that’s actually plenty if you’re just starting out. But after a couple years, 3 minutes feels like nothing. You barely have time to get acquainted before launching into your 3 to 4 minute bit, so now you’re cutting corners and it better be a mic that’s worth it!
BEST 3 MINUTE MIC
Comedian's Choice Comedy Store Potluck
Open Mic Reviews Comedy Store Potluck
Honorable Mentions The Anchor Bar
Nothing can compete with The World Famous Comedy Store. More on that later.
MIXED MICS.
Oh boy, looks like there’s a bunch of musicians and poets in the audience. It can be a deadly combination, and the comics are usually to blame. They love to shit on mixed mics, and I do too, from time to time. I’ve been to mixed mics that are harmonious too, where the variety of acts keeps the night exciting and fresh. Funny that most of these mixed mics are in coffee shops, which can also be some of the deadliest mics of all.
BEST MIXED MIC
Comedian's Choice Library Coffeehouse
Open Mic Reviews Daily Brew Coffee Bar
Honorable Mentions The Cork Lounge
Robert Zoref trying to get people to look up from their laptops at The Library Coffeehouse.
This place is brutal, but a Long Beach favorite. There’s never a shortage of college students trying to study, ready to ignore with headphones and icy stares. Every 100 sets you might stumble onto something magical. Every once in awhile, they listen. Break through to this crowd and you’ll feel like a champion. You rock this room once and you’ll keep coming back to see if it’s possible again.
“Hey guys, in 5 minutes we’re gonna have an open mic!” The angry side look is captured perfectly.
BEST COFFEE SHOP MIC
Comedian's Choice Toasted and Roasted
Open Mic Reviews Daily Brew Coffee Bar
Honorable Mentions Royal Cup Cafe, The Library Coffeehouse
Daily Brew Coffee Bar in Montebello is a hidden gem.
I just want to wish a quick CONGRATULATIONS to Toasted and Roasted. I haven’t been back since Jonathan and Mark took over, but I’m glad it’s getting the majority vote.
I picked Daily Brew Coffee bar because it’s a terrific mixed mic. There’s always a supportive crowd that is really hyped for every act- it’s a great time.
Speaking of crowds…
BEST AUDIENCE
Comedian's Choice Comedy Store Potluck TIED with Westside Comedy Theater
Open Mic Reviews Cabo Wabo Cantina
Honorable Mentions Lab at The Hollywood Improv
Michael hosting a late night Cabo Wabo Cantina mic. You’ll find plenty of people here. There are barkers on Hollywood Blvd to get customers in and it pays off. The open mic itself is the usual late night insanity, but if you can get up it’s a great audience!
Moving along….
BEST BAR MIC
Comedian's Choice The Anchor Bar
Open Mic Reviews The Offbeat Bar
Honorable Mentions Chatterbox, Bruddah’s Bar
The Anchor Bar is one of the best. It’s a tight space full of customers that are ready to watch comedy and drink. It’s also a great hang outside, many friendships begin out there.
If you haven’t tried The Anchor Bar yet, you ought to. Yeah, it’s a drive and there’s a wait, but you’ll love that crowd.
BEST THEATER MIC
Comedian's Choice Westside Comedy Theater
Open Mic Reviews Westside Comedy Theater
Honorable Mentions The Pack
Westside Comedy Theater has the best layout. Always excited to be here.
The Westside Comedy Theater is always packed with locals and comics, the room is fantastic and it’s probably the most fun I’ve had on any stage. It hurts not to get up, this place is my drug of choice.
BEST ALL-COMIC MIC
Comedian's Choice Fourth Wall
Open Mic Reviews Genghis Cohen
Honorable Mentions Royal Cup Cafe, Bert’s Backroom
Genghis Cohen is my favorite lottery/all-comic open mic in Los Angeles. It’s always full and surprisingly supportive. It can go long, sure, but it’s a good space and there are very few distractions. They usually draw 3 to 4 names at a time, so you at least have a heads-up on the potential wait ahead of you. I think multiple hosts are a wise choice for this one too- good to break things up a bit.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
I know what you’re saying.
I have a diarrhea fart joke that’s 8 minutes long, but all these LA mics only offer THREE.
I CAN’T TRIM DIARRHEA FARTS!
Well, fart no further!
BEST MIC FOR A LONGER SET
Comedian's Choice Bruddah’s Bar (8-10 minutes)
Open Mic Reviews The Cork Lounge (8 minutes)
Honorable Mentions Liquid Zoo (10 minutes), The Lost Bean (10 minutes)
This Hawaiian bar in Gardena is a lot of fun, and Erik Escobar is one of the nicest guys on the scene. Cheap beers, yummy food, a good-sized audience and a lengthy set.
BEST COMEDY CLUB MIC
Comedian's Choice Hollywood Improv “Lab Work”
Open Mic Reviews The Comedy Store “Potluck”
Honorable Mentions The Rec Room in Huntington Beach
Ken Garr hosting at The Lab, probably plugging his Vegas dates to a bunch of frustrated open mic’ers. The Hollywood Improv is pretty awesome, it’s always packed, it’s nice and dark and busting up this many comics will make you feel like a comedy God. Or Ken Garr!
I procrastinate a lot, to the point where I don’t have enough time to make it to 5:30 sign-ups. It’s nice to have late-night options and a last stop for the night.
BEST LATE NIGHT OPTION
Comedian's Choice Fourth Wall TIED with Next Stage
Open Mic Reviews The Cinema Bar
Honorable Mentions Liquid Zoo
The Cinema Bar! Every time I time I think I’m going to arrive late, its just starting. John Davenport and Serafina Costanza are mighty good hosts. Going after hecklers and butting heads with schmucky comedians. It’s intimate and unpredictable.
BEST DAYLIGHT OPTION
Comedian's Choice The Fourth Wall
Open Mic Reviews Lyric Hyperion Theater
Honorable Mentions Open Space
Lyric Hyperion Theater/Hipster Central.
I like the Lyric because it’s well run and supportive. It’s a quiet room too, so the attention on the performer is really focused. It can be tough bombing in here, or even tougher listening to the excessive amount of snark, but it’s the best mic in Silverlake.
BEST OC MIC
Comedian's Choice The Anchor Bar
Open Mic Reviews The Rec Room
Honorable Mentions The Harp Inn
Beau performs his first set ever at The Rec Room.
I AM biased because I work and perform at The Rec Room quite a bit. That said, everybody WILL get up. Jason is a fantastic host, he keeps it moving, and the space is great. I especially like the end of the mic where he encourages the remaining 10 people in the room to move up a row or two, so the comics that have been waiting 2+ hours can get a fair shake. It can be cliquey and in-jokey at times with friends yelling out, but it’s really supportive.
Now on to the bad behavior mics!
My original pitch for this drawing was “A half-naked comedian using a microphone stand as an extension of his penis, while making a battle cry into the microphone.” I just want to say that the artist misinterpreted my pitch for this drawing in the BEST WAY POSSIBLE. One of those happy accidents that made it completely insane. God I love that comedian.
BEST MIC FOR DEPLORABLE BEHAVIOR
Comedian's Choice Marty’s
Open Mic Reviews The Next Stage in Los Angeles
Honorable Mentions The Harp Inn, Garage Behind Food 4 Less
Next Stage is a temple of depravity in Hollywood. It’s a great place to get fucked up and rant to a bunch of comics who are nodding off in their park bench seats.
Ugggh.
BEST LA MIC
Comedian's Choice Comedy Store Potluck
Open Mic Reviews Comedy Store Potluck
Honorable Mentions Hollywood Improv Lab
There is nothing like performing in the Original Room at The Comedy Store. It’s electric. Even bombing is exhilarating. If you go up late enough, there can be a really great audience. Getting the comics in the back to crack up can feel like a triumph. So much history and when that neon star lights up my heart starts pumping. A truly intense 3 minutes.
BEST STAGE
Comedian's Choice Original Room at The Comedy Store
Open Mic Reviews Westside Comedy Theater
Honorable Mentions Ice House In Pasadena
Sorry if this is getting redundant. Let’s take a break and focus on some out-of-town mics!
BEST MIC THAT’S WORTH THE 2+ HOUR DRIVE
Comedian's Choice Madhouse Comedy Club in San Diego
Open Mic Reviews Mel’s Lounge in Santa Barbara
Honorable Mentions La Jolla Comedy Store, Ventura Harbor Comedy Club
Madhouse Comedy Club in San Diego recently relocated, but this was a really cool spot. A lot of audience members would hang out after the show to watch the mic.
Naysayers, “No mic is worth a 2 Hour Drive-” SHADDUP! In some states, you have to drive two hours to get to ANY open mic.
Mel’s Cocktail Lounge in Santa Barbara is another winner. Totally unexpected gem. Packed with locals and they’re all into the mic. Out-of-towners get priority 10 minute spots- a generous touch.
BEST MIC FOR A NEWBIE
Comedian’s Choice The Fourth Wall
Open Mic Reviews The Fourth Wall
Honorable Mentions Royal Cup Cafe
So much love for The Fourth Wall. It makes sense, Joe Manente is extremely welcoming and has a boisterous laugh if he thinks you’re funny. He keeps it upbeat and fun.
Speaking of redundant, I had a big old brain fart while putting these categories together.. you voted on it, so here we go again…
BEST MIC TO DO YOUR FIRST SET
Comedian’s Choice Tao Comedy Studio
Open Mic Reviews Royal Cup Cafe
Honorable Mentions Marty’s TIED with Fourth Wall
Ryan Schooley hosting at Royal Cup. One of the friendliest mics in Long Beach.
The Royal Cup Cafe in Long Beach has a strange room in the back filled with weird art and junk. Ryan Schooley and Patrick Bucher have turned it into a really welcoming workshop mic. One of my favorite places to try out new jokes.
And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for. The BEST HOSTS category! To hear the winners, click on this audio file! OR you can scroll down if you want to spoil it for yourself.
THE CHOICE…IS UP TO YOU…...
BEST HOST/HOSTS
A quick word on Joe Manente…he is the man. God I loved that Hollywood Mobile mic, what a great idea. He’s already expanded The Fourth Wall to a second location, he live streams some of the mics, and he’s currently working on membership options- this guy has ideas and he’s making a lot of comics happy.
Rachel Cuthbert put together Bert’s Back Room with very little and she has found an innovative way to keep comics engaged for a short period of time. Her honesty on stage and contagious laugh just make it a delight. The convenient online sign up and Instagram posts have made it sort of a networking thing for comics too. I can glance at a sign up sheet and say, “Hey, I’d like to drop in and see these comics!” Pretty cool. Then her constant posting of Instagram clips has helped me remember new names. You can pay for several slots a day and always have a new audience of comics.
Evan Cassidy has built up one of the best spaces imaginable. He knows how to deal with hecklers and some how juggles hundreds of comics, every Monday, week after week for 6 hours at a time. The guy is a fucking animal! He’s been at this since 2011, so mad respect for The Cass Man.
Scroll down for a “group picture” of the winners!
SPECIAL AWARD
BEST FLYER
We’ve all done shitty cut-and-paste photoshop jobs. Let’s give it up to the real artists that actually make art! You’ve seen this guy’s work all over Facebook. He has a great sense of humor to go with his colorful style. A friend of mine was describing the Garage mic poster with the snails and cracking up. I started seeing his work everywhere, and it’s great stuff- no contest.
Comedian’s Choice- Josh Sude for various open mic flyers.
Open Mic Reviews- Bernice Ashikian for various open mic flyers
Berenice really nailed this Royal Cup Cafe flyer- that looks exactly like the room!
I picked Berenice because I dig her psychedelic rock style and some of the imagery reminds me of Crumb comics or Daniel Johnston’s art. Pretty fucking cool. She’s also made some kickass logos for a few comedy related projects.
LET THE WINNERS KNOW YOU APPRECIATE THEM! A HEARTY HANDSHAKE AND A THUMBS UP!
Before I close this blog out, I want to share some open mic recommendations from a few top-notch comedians. They’re everywhere on the scene, so you can trust them!
Andrea Gazzetta- Chatterbox in Covina, The Ice House in Pasadena, and The Witchy Mic at The Offbeat Bar in Los Angeles (started in October every other Monday)
Kelly Ryan- Oak’s Tavern in Sherman Oaks, Ice House in Pasadena, Genghis Cohen in Los Angeles.
Chris Chaisson- Maui Sugar Mill Saloon is a good one. Mixed mic in Tarzana, 5 to 7 minutes (usually more), host does a feature spot every week that's 25 minutes. There's also Mel's Lounge in Santa Barbara where you can do 10 to 12 minutes. It's a long drive but they give priority spots. There are a lot of non-comics at both mics and they're into the comedy.
Heather Marulli- Set List On Thursdays at The Pack in Los Angeles (improvise off topic, great for writing on stage), The Shit Show on Fridays at The Fanatic Salon (that one often has some real audience in it so it's good for working stuff out)
Zac Elk- - Worthington’s in Riverside, The Joke Gym (Wherever it goes) - Clown House in DTLA. R.I.P. to Flappers (Claremont)
Daniel Zambrano runs Orange County Stand-Up on Instagram. He weighs in with some of his favorites:
1. Royal Cup Cafe in Long Beach: Whether you're a regular at the mic or a newcomer, the supportive atmosphere this room has built sets it a part from the others. Having a room seperate from the rest of the establishment, and it being an intimate, close space at that, makes it a perfect place to build confidence in new bits.
2. Fathers Pub in Santa Ana. A place that’s often a "Hit & Miss" or a "Miss &, I'm scared now, & never going to come back". Its unapologetically raw but simple, either adapt to how the room will accept you and work with how much attention they are willing to give you, or sink and try again later. It deters a lot of comedians away because it isn’t inviting, the regulars there aren’t there for comedy, but its a great breeding ground to grow that muscle that commands the audience’s attention by sheer willpower. The extra time that’s given really helps that. Having a host like Ramon Hernandez who helps tame the beast as much as he can with energy has really helped this mic turn around in 2018.
3. Vee Bentleys post show open mics. Although they aren’t yet weekly, and it might be a tad too early to really say they were super solid, they've probably had the best turnout of actual folk at the mics out of every OC mic barring Anchor Bar. Her eye for a room has been spot on thus far and it’s really helped both the booked shows and open mic after as the comics leave with a sense of satisfaction and excitement for the next one. She still needs to work her chops up as a host, but they are events that can only get better with the right TLC & venue cooperation. With that, all the shows have been no item minimum and have gone on as long as the lists have been, so the future is bright.
RANDOM Shout-Outs
San Francisco
There was a ton of praise for TK Moyer and his open mic. I’ve never been to a Bay Area mic, but his non-comedian fans wouldn’t stop bugging me about it, so he’s either fantastic at running a mic or an outstanding cult leader.
Bee Henry- Edinburgh Castle Pub is beyond my favorite open mic in the Bay Area. It doesn’t even feel like an open mic at this point, it feels like a crazy energetic showcase. TK Moyer does a truly fantastic job producing and hosting. As a female comedian making the rounds of open mics, I not only feel comfortable and safe there, but genuinely respected and supported, and that’s hard to come by. It’s a real treasure.”
TK Moyer wins everything, now leave me alone.
Santa Cruz
Rosie McCann’s Open Mic run by DNA (great dude)
Minneapolis, Minnesota
A SPECIAL thanks to our guest announcer Jeremiah Watkins!
If you’d like to hear more about open mics from Jeremiah, here’s a quick interview we did awhile back. I found it very inspirational.
THAT’S IT! SEE YOU ON THE BATTLEFIELD, EVERYBODY!
Oh, and sorry Jason. :(